Dream Cast Thursday! The Brontes

For this week's Dream Cast Thursday (technically Friday, since I have been getting these posts out later and later), I will be recasting novels by two of the Bronte sisters. Jane Eyre was published by Charlotte Bronte in 1847, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published by Anne Bronte in 1848. When making my casting choices for Jane Eyre, I looked at several adaptations. I looked at the versions of Jane Eyre from 1983, 1996 and 2006, and I looked at adaptations of Wide Sargasso Sea from 1993 and 2006.

The first character that I recast was Jane Eyre. She has been played by Zelah Clarke, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Ruth Wilson. For my adaptation, I cast Claire Foy

The second character that I recast was Edward Fairfax Rochester. He has been played by Timothy Dalton, William Hurt, Nathaniel Parker, Toby Stephens, and Rafe Spall. For my adaptation, I cast Rufus Sewell.

The next character that I recast was Mrs. Fairfax. She has been played by Jean Harvey, Joan Plowright, and Lorraine Ashbourne. For my adaptation, I cast Susan Sarandon.

The last character that I recast was Bertha or Antoinette Cosway. She has been played by Joolia Cappleman, Maria Schneider, Karina Lombard, Claudia Coulter, and Rebecca Hall. For my adaptation, I cast Mili Avital.

When  casting The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I looked at one adaptation from 1996. The first character that I recast was Helen. She was played by Tara Fitzgerald. For my adaptation, I cast Charlotte Riley.

The second character that I recast was Gilbert Markham. He was played by Toby Stephens. For my adaptation, I cast Henry Cavill.

The third character that I recast was Huntingdon. He was played by Rupert Graves. For my adaptation, I cast Jude Law.

The last character that I recast was Mr. Lawrence. He was played by James Purefoy. For my adaptation, I cast Alex O'Laughlin.

So what do you all think? What are are favorite Bronte novels? What are your favorite adaptations, and who would be in yours?

Dream Cast Thursday! Henry VIII

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Henry VIII. I was really excited to do this one, because I love 16th century English history. The story of Henry VIII and those figures that surround him have always captivated audiences. There have been many adaptations, but when deciding my dream cast, I looked at four specific ones. I looked at Henry VIII (2003), The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 miniseries), The Tudors (2007), and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

The first character that I cast was Henry VIII. He has been played by Ray Winstone, Jared Harris, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Eric Bana. For my adaptation, I cast James Purefoy.

The second character that I recast was Katherine of Aragon. She has been played by Assumpta Serna, Yolanda Vazquez, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Ana Torrent. For my adaptation, I cast Giovanna Mezzogiorno.

The third character that I recast was Anne Boleyn. She has been played by Helena Bonham Carter, Jodhi May, Natalie Dormer, and Natalie Portman. For my adaptation, I cast Emily Blunt.

The fourth character that I recast was Jane Seymour. She has been played by Emilia Fox, Naomi Benson, Annabelle Wallis, and Corrine Galloway. For my adaptation, I cast Sienna Miller.

The fifth character that I recast was Anne of Cleaves. She has been played by Pia Girard and Joss Stone. For my adaptation, I cast Ruth Wilson.

The sixth character that I recast was Catherine Howard. She has been played by Emily Blunt and Tamzin Merchant. For my adaptation, I cast Karen Gillan.

The last character that I recast was Catherine Parr. She has been played by Clare Holman and Joely Richardson. For my adaptation, I cast Kate Winslet. 

So what do you all think? Which adaptations have you seen and which one is your favorite? Who would be in your adaptation?

Dream Cast Thursday! Rebecca

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Rebecca. I read the novel (by Daphne du Maurier) in high school and LOVED it! The novel originally came out in 1938. For my recast, I looked at the 1940 adaptation and the 1997 adaptation.

The first character that I recast was the second Mrs. de Winter. She has been played by Joan Fontaine and Emilia Fox. For my adaptation, I cast Ruth Wilson.

The second character that I recast was Maxim de Winter. He has been played by Laurence Olivier and Charles Dance. For my adaptation, I cast Ralph Fiennes.

The third character that I recast was Mrs. Danvers. She has been played by Judith Anderson and Diana Rigg. For my adaptation, I cast Catherine Deneuve.

The last character that I recast was Jack Favell. He has been played by George Sanders and Jonathan Cake. For my adaptation, I cast Adam Rayner.

So what do you all think? Have you read the novel? What adaptations have you seen? Who would be in your adaptation?

Shooting the Past and A Real Summer

I recently saw two more Stephen Poliakoff films (click here to see my Poliakoff post). A Real Summer is the third in a series that includes Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary. It is a short film with two characters. Ruth Wilson reprises her role as Mary Gilbert, but also plays Geraldine. She was magnificent. She really is a wonderful actress. I found myself forgetting that she was not two different people. She really did become each character.

Shooting that Past came out in 1999 (eight years before A Real Summer). Many of Poliakoff's films deal with family secrets and general themes dealing with the past. This film focuses on an enormous collection of photographs. These photographs and the people in charge of them hold their own secrets. It has a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Lindsay Duncan, Timothy Spall, Liam Cunningham, and Emilia Fox.

These two films are definitely must-sees. I would suggest first watching Capturing Mary, then Joe's Palace, and finally A Real Summer. I am not sure how the companion pieces were originally supposed to be watched, but that is the order in which I watched them. I hope you enjoy!

Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary

I recently saw two films written by and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. I have enjoyed other films that I have seen by him in the past (especially Perfect Strangers). I had pretty high expectations for these films and am very happy to report that I was not disappointed.

The first film that I saw is called Joe's Palace. It came out in 2007. It is a drama that centers on the relationships between Joe and Elliott and Joe, Richard and Charlotte. Elliott is the rich, eccentric owner of a grand mansion. Joe is the young man hired to care for the empty house. Richard is in government. He and Charlotte are both married to other people. They come to the house for privacy.

The cast was amazing. One thing that I have come to expect from Poliakoff films is the amazing casts. Elliott Graham is played by Michael Gambon. Joe Dix is played by Danny Lee Wynter. Richard Reece is played by Rupert Penry-Jones. Charlotte is played by Kelly Reilly. Michael Gambon and Kelly Reilly were especially phenomenal. I kind of expected a wonderful performance from Gambon, but was absolutely blown away by Reilly.

The companion piece to Joe's Palace is Capturing Mary. This film came out later in 2007. This film also involves Joe, but revolves around Mary Gilbert (a older woman trying to come to grips with her past and the part the Greville White plays). The setting for this film is once again in Mr. Graham's magnificent mansion.

Joe is once again played by Danny Lee Wynter. Mary Gilbert is played by Maggie Smith and Ruth Wilson. Greville White is played by David Walliams. This cast was also magnificent (as expected). The one surprise was David Walliams. I have always seen him in comedic roles. This was the first realy dramatic role that I had seen him in. He was amazing!

These films are definitely a must-see. I would suggest seeing Perfect Strangers first. Poliakoff does an absolutely magnificent job of bringing realistic dramas about family secrets and the past. They are always a real treat.

Dream Cast Thursday! Wuthering Heights

Today's Dream Cast Thursday is Wuthering Heights. It was originally published by Emily Bronte in 1847 under the pseudonym of Ellis Bell. Since it's original publication, there have been many film adaptations. I have focused only on the earliest adaptation of Wuthering Heights and the three other adaptations that I have seen. One version of Wuthering Heights (1939) was directed by William Wyler. Another version of Wuthering Heights (1992) was directed by Peter Kosminsky. A third adaptation of Wutehring Heights (2003) was directed by Suri Krishnamma. The last adaptation of Wuthering Heights (2009) that I will be looking at was directed by Coky Giedroyc.

The characters of Cathy and Heathcliff are the two most important characters in the films. Cathy has been played by Merle Oberon (1939), Juliette Binoche (1992), Erika Christensen (2003 - in this updated version, she is known as Cate), and Charlotte Riley (2009). In my recast I would cast Ruth Wilson. She is a young and relatively unknown actress. I have loved her since I saw her in the most recent adaptation of Jane Eyre with Toby Stephens.

Heathcliff has been played by Laurence Olivier (1029), Ralph Fiennes (1992), Mike Vogel (2003 - in this updated version, he is known as Heath), and Tom Hardy (2009). In my remake, I would cast Dominic Cooper.

In the past, Edgar has been played by David Niven (1039), Simon Shepherd (1992), Christopher Masterson (2003 -In this updated version, he is known as Edward), and Andrew Lincoln (2009). In my remake, I recast Matthew Goode.

In the past, Isabella has been played by Geraldine Fitzgerald (1939), Sophie Ward (1992), Katherine Heigl (2003- in this updated version she is known as Isabel), and Rosalind Halstead (2009). In my remake, I cast Romola Garai.

In past adaptations, Hindley has been played by Hugh Williams (1939), Jeremy Northam (1992), Johnny Whitworth (2003- in this updated version, he is known as Hendrix), and Burn Gorman (2009). In my remake, I recast Sean Biggerstaff.

So what do you all think? Who would you recast in your adaptation? Have you seen any really good adaptations that have not been mentioned?